I've woken from operations to find the surgery hasn't been done - women's health is broken

Kelly O’Shea says she woke from more than one operation to learn that surgeons had been unable to carry out the endometriosis treatment she needed.

The 32-year-old, who lives with chronic pain, said she felt forced to pay £20,000 for private treatment after becoming frustrated and desperate for help.

Kelly has experienced daily pain for about three and a half years, although her symptoms began when she was a teenager. Her endometriosis has also affected her bowel, meaning operations require bowel and bladder specialists as well as endometriosis specialists.

After her most recent operation, she said she was woken about 45 minutes later and told that a bowel surgeon had not been available. Her endometriosis was therefore left untreated.

On another occasion, she said her operation was stopped early because the theatre was needed for an urgent case.

“I was promised we'd have the whole team there and they'd get me out of pain,” Kelly said.

“But it's always the same excuse - they weren't available, or they ran out of surgery time.”

She said repeated operations had caused further scar tissue and that she had lost faith in the treatment process.

Discussions took place about transferring her care to Bristol, but Kelly said she was later told another specialist centre in Wales would treat her. She was warned the wait could be up to two years, depending on clinical need.

Her experience comes as gynaecologists warn that specialist centres in Wales treating complex endometriosis cases are at risk. They have called for a national service to be commissioned.

The Welsh deputy minister for women’s health said the current arrangements were “not sustainable” and that discussions were taking place about establishing a regional or national service.

Kelly, who works in healthcare, said she had seen very good care elsewhere in the NHS but felt women’s healthcare was “completely broken”.

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